Gloucestershire F1 hopeful makes positive progress during in-season Formula 2 test
Gloucestershire’s Zak O’Sullivan declared himself satisfied with a positive in-season Formula 2 test at Barcelona as he gears up for the series’ racing return later this month.
The three-day test at the Catalan circuit was the first opportunity for Zak and his ART Grand Prix team to dig deeper into the challenges they have faced in the early stages of the 2024 season.
The 19-year-old Williams Racing junior, from Withington, near Cheltenham, sits 11th in the drivers’ standings after the opening three flyaway meetings in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia.
“It was quite a positive test. We found some things on the car we can improve and although there’s no golden bullet in racing, we made the most of the three days and ran through everything we wanted to,” said Zak.
“It was good to get back to Barcelona and get a handle on the where the car is compared to its launch in February. The F2 car is new for 2024 and there’s lots of work to do to get the best out of it.“
“We’ve not had the best of starts to the season, but you can take the first three races with a pinch of salt. Bahrain is a circuit which is very hard on tyres and was followed by two very different street tracks in Jeddah and Melbourne. So getting back on a ‘normal’ track like Barcelona is helpful.”
The European leg of the Formula 2 season kicks off at the famous Imola circuit (May 17-19), a track where Zak has performed well in the past.
Zak added: “The start of the European season gives us a solid platform to build on as we get back onto more conventional circuits. But you never truly know where you will be, as there’s always an element of F2 being quite random.
“Imola should be fun. It’s a track which encourages good racing and there’s normally some mixed conditions there. I’m looking forward to it.“
“How we perform in qualifying is going to be key. Every weekend there seems to be quite big gaps on the first couple of rows, then between about fifth and 12th it’s so close. It can make a massive difference to your weekend which end of that group you find yourself in.”
Zak said the mixed start to his fledgling F2 career highlights the depth of talent on show in the leading single-seater feeder series.
“Our results so far this year just go to highlight the level of F2 in 2024. Probably half the grid is Formula 1 material with drivers stuck in the bottleneck between the top level of the feeder series and F1,” he added.
For anyone businesses interested in sponsoring Zak, there is still time to get logos on his car ahead of the start of the European rounds. For more information, email .
For more information on Zak, follow him on Instagram at www.instagram.com/zak.osullivan or visit www.zakosullivan.com.
